


A Road Worth Following

by OneAndTwo



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas, RWBY
Genre: Action/Adventure, Crossover, Drunk Qrow Branwen, Drunk Rose of Sharon Cassidy, Gen, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:21:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24128092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneAndTwo/pseuds/OneAndTwo
Summary: Amber always wanted to be a hero, someone who could help those in need. When she gained the powers of the Fall Maiden, she thought that she could use them to do just that. Now she wishes that she never had them. However, after meeting a stranger who calls himself Courier Six, she starts to wonder if the road that she is currently walking along is one that she truly wants.
Relationships: Amber & Courier Six
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

“ _Howdy folks of the Four Kingdoms, it’s me, Mr New Vegas and I am just glad to be a part of your lives”, s_ poke the aged friendly voice from the radio, the mechanical box slightly discoloured from age.

Amber would have never described herself as an avid listener of radio in the past, her only real chance of listening to it being when she stopped in small towns, like the one she was currently in, whilst wandering the world of Remnant. But right now, listening to the grandfather like voice of Mr New Vegas, it felt strange to her. It was as if he was talking directly to her, an old friend who's she was keeping in touch with, telling her all the stories of Remnant and its people.

Whenever she would stop in a town, she’d find a radio and tune in to Radio New Vegas and get all the latest updates and news from the man with the golden voice. No matter who it was, good news or bad news, hearing it from him always made it seem significant; like the world itself was changing forever. It was relaxing, one of the few luxuries she could allow herself to have, her one time of escaping who she was...what she was.

“ _Got some news right here for you folks, so stay tuned.”_ The voice from the radio continued. There was always something going on in the world of Remnant and he always seemed to let people know. ‘ _Whoever his reporters are, they deserve a raise.’_ Amber thought. “ _A Schnee Dust Company freight train was recently attacked by the White Fang terrorist organisation, costing the companies thousands._ ”

Amble sighed to herself. Any news of violence was bad news to her but when it involved the White Fang her mood always became sober. She had never had any encounters with the organisation before or after its reformation from peaceful protesters to violent terrorists, but her silent support of their goals became increasingly difficult to maintain when they caused so much misery. She never fully understood the racism against the Faunus people, she doubted she ever could, to hate someone only because they have animal like traits and appendages both angered and confused her. ‘ _Why do people have to hate each other so much?_ ’ her thoughts cried.

Her musings were suddenly interrupted by the radio DJ’s continued reporting. “ _n other news, a slavers’ ring that had been operating in the depths of Vacuo has been wiped out by a mysterious vigilante who many have come to refer to as ‘The Red Beret’. The lone figure was reported to have used guerrilla, hit-and-run style tactics during their raid on the compound. No individual or organization has yet claimed responsibility for the attack._ ”

Another pang of sorrow hit the young woman at hearing the latest headlines. She couldn't believe that slavers were still openly operating in the world that she called home. And while she was very far from being a fan of killing criminals, she could take some pleasure in the fact that the world had less evil in it now that those who actively caused misery were no longer a threat.

“ _Until next time folks, this has been Mr New Vegas and before I sign off, I would love to leave you with this..._ ” The DJ finished, his voice filled with flair and dramatics. Relaxing mellow music began to pour from the radio speaker into the room, the perfect music for the evening air.

‘Mr New Vegas’. The Mysterious Mr New Vegas. One day, just over a year ago, he appeared out of nowhere on the radio and started talking like he had been doing it for years. No-one knew where he was or where he came from. But he immediately captivated the entirety of Remnant with his soothing voice, honest news coverage and great music selection. People from all over Remnant, from the high cliffs of Mistral to the frozen land of Atlas, tuned in. Amber turned on the barstool, gazing at the room she currently found herself in.

A dimly lit bar, with floors and walls made from a dark wood that dared not reflect much illuminations from the hanging lights and candle lit lamps that sat on the many tables around the wide-open room. Patrons were starting to pour in to help escape from their daily works. Most of them were laborers and farmers; the only jobs that seemed to exist outside of the capitals of the Four Kingdoms. The smell of alcohol and stained wood swam through the air assaulting the young woman's nostrils. The clattering of glass and chatter of the residents slowly increased in volume as more and more people filed in through the front door and joined in the merrymaking.

“Hey, can I get you anything?” Amber’s eyes turned to meet the voice that called to her from the other side of the bar; the imposing deep rumble of a voice belonging to an equally imposing man. The man towered above Amber, his limbs as thick as logs with dense hair all over his face and arms. His gaze was harsh, with focused brown eyes that would be better suited for a military interrogator than a barman in this quiet town. Amber resisted the urge to shrink back under the giant’s intense gaze and responded, “No thanks, I’d just like to know if you have any rooms for the night.”

The man nodded his head with a grunt Before sliding a book, that Amber was sure wasn't there before, in front of her. “Just put in your details in here and I'll get you all set up”.

Amber began to scribble down the fake details that she took up to hide her true self. Ones upon a time she struggled to write down fake names addresses and contact information but now it comes so second nature she could do it in her sleep.

After jotting down her fake information she slid the book back to its owner who scooped it up and gazed at his contents. “So, you’re a Traveller ay,” he stated, “got any good stories to tell?”

Amber raised an eyebrow at the question. “Why do you ask?”

“Got lots of different travellers that come through this town, from Huntsman to circuses, almost all of them have got a good story to tell. People who decide to leave the safety of the cities and wander the roads always have a reason for doing so. Guess I just can't hold back my curiosity to find out about then.” the hairy man answered seemingly not fully sure on the answer that he gave.

The young Huntresses eyes gazed down as Played with her fingers debating what she couldn't could not talk about to this man stranger she just met. After a few seconds of consideration, she decided it was ok to talk about it if she was vague enough. “Well…” she hesitated “...I always wanted to help people, to make the world a better place even if I have to do it one town at a time.”

“Always good to hear that.” replied the Giant with a nod, his eyes noticeably less harsh than they were before. “Few people could claim to hate someone for those reasons. Though judging from the way you said it makes me think it's not going so well.”

Amber mentally cringed at the large man's deduction. Was it so obvious? This was the reason why she didn't talk about this to people couldn't know who she was. She just wasn't very good at hiding her emotions.

Before she could respond to the bartender he spoke once more. “And judging from your reaction to what I just said I gather you don't want to talk about it, so don't.”

“You said you hear lots of stories from travellers; got any good ones?” She quickly said, needing to change the topic of conversation before this gets even more awkward.

The man hummed; his face scrunched up in thoughts. Stroking his bushy beard hopefully aid in conjuring up something good to share.

“Honestly there are so many good ones I have no idea which one to share with you,” He eventually replied with. “but if you had to twist my arm for an answer here's one; ya ever heard the stories of the Ghost of Vengeance?”

‘ _Well that sounds ominous_ ’ thought Amber. “No, I haven't heard that one.”

“People say that out there, right now, is what many have described as a walking corpse wearing a sombrero and outfit straight out of a cowboy flick. He wonders Remnant with a revolver at his hip punishing those who prey on the weak before simply vanishing.”

The young woman once more raised an eyebrow, this time in suspicion. “This sounds made up.”

“I thought so too,” the bartender replied “but so many people come in here and tell the same story with the same details. In my eyes there's got to be some level of truth in it.”

Amber just shook her head. A cowboy zombie vigilante. That sounds like something you'd see on a Saturday morning cartoon. There's no way something like that can be true. Then again...she was a bit of a hypocrite when it came to this topic, being a living fairy tale herself. Well if she ever did meet this ‘ghost of Vengeance’ she’d make sure she apologises for not believing in him. Yeah that sounded reasonable.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening once again. All eyes in the room turned towards the figure that cause the disturbance. In walked in a stranger. A tall man with messy, bark brown hair that was peeking out of his black matted cowboy hat, a cut beard to match his hairs colour. A dark brown duster covered most of his body with the sleeves of a white shirt poking out of the sleeveless coat. Small bags, pouches and bandoliers lined his belt and chest, many types of ammunition on full display for the different guns he sported. The atmosphere became tense and heavy when eyes locked onto the weapons that he possessed. A huge knife sat in a holster over his chest, many kinds of pistols and revolvers on his hips and legs and slung over his shoulders was obviously some sort of rifle and shotgun. This man radiated danger and everyone in the bar could feel it.

Time seem to freeze as the stranger stepped in the bar. No one dares draw a single breath as all eyes followed him from the front door to the counter. Amber had to restrain herself from grabbing her extendable staff. The only thing holding her back was the instinctual gut feeling that this guy could take her easily in a fight.

“Excuse me, would they happen to be any more rooms available here to rent or should I start pitching my tent outside?”

It took a moment for the occupants of the bar to figure out who dared break the icy silenced of the room. All eyes Linton surprise as the new stranger who a few moments ago could’ve killed with his presence alone spoke so casually to the bartender standing across from him. His voice being deep and smooth with a very distinctive accent that just added to his cowboy image even more. As the moment of surprise ended the dam of tension burst and all the onlookers let out a breath, they did not even realise they were holding. One by one they returned to their own private conversations and happenings, the casual words of a stranger completely stripping any sense of worry he may have commanded.

Amber was the most surprised of everyone. Like magic, with a single sentence his aura of dread vanished. Leaving behind an odd looking but seemingly good intentioned man just looking for logging. What was that? That wasn’t normal. Walking in to a building and make everyone feel that it’s the coming of the apocalypse, then just say a few words and then it’s all business as usual. Who is this guy?

“You’re just in luck. One last room for rent.” Replied the giant bartender, a steely expression never leaving his face.

“Nice to know Lady Luck still loves me. Would a free drink happened to come with the room?” the stranger asked, his face was sporting a playful grin, conveying the joking nature of his question.

The larger man through his head back with a single large laugh, surprising Amber. That was the first expression that he’s shown her that wasn’t sharp stares. “Ha! No, I’m afraid it doesn’t but tell you what, on your first drink purchase I’ll give ya half off for giving me a good laugh.”

The newly arrived man pressed his thumb and index finger to the brim of this hat tilting it down ever so slightly with a nod of thanks. “Much obliged. I’ll take two beers please, something to get the dreams coming quicker, it’s been a long walk for me today.”

The bartender’s resting glaring gaze returned as he nodded to the new arrival and begun walking down the bar to retrieve what the Man had ordered.

Now that he was standing next to her at the counter Amber noticed something else about the man. On the back of his duster was A strange symbol or logo. A large blue spade like the one suit from a deck of cards surrounded by 12 white stars in a circle with a larger single star in the centre of the spade. Below them were five vertical red stripes That ended halfway down his back. The symbol was slap dead in the centre of the man is back, proudly displaying the strange symbol to all who gazed at it.

The giant returned a few moments later with two glasses of golden alcoholic liquid. Setting them down in front of the newly arrived stranger, money was quickly exchanged between the two men. They gave each other a quick nod of acknowledgement before the man behind the counter turned away to serve other customers. The brown-haired woman turned away from looking at the back of the man’s coat to find that one of his two drinks had been slid in front of her. Looking down at the glass like she didn’t know what to do with it, she eventually turns to the man sitting beside her who is sipping at his own drink whilst looking forward. He gave no indication that he was the one who gave it to her, but it couldn’t have been anyone else.

“Is this yours.” Amber asked her voice and face displaying her confusion.

“Not anymore it isn’t.” The strange man replied. “Consider it my good deed for the day.”

This guy was just getting stranger and stranger by the second in Amber’s eyes. He just walks in and gives a beer to someone who he’s never talked to or even acknowledged. _‘There’s got to be more to this_ ’ she thought.

“What’s your game here?” Amber asked with suspicion.

“I just saw that someone was alone at the bar without a drink.” He replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He turned to her and gave her a small smile. “So, I thought I’d fix the situation. Besides drinking alone is depressing and it gives a way to start a conversation.”

Amber was torn. On one hand she didn’t know him, he was obviously dangerous judging from the presence he created when he first walked in and Ozpin had told her that she shouldn’t trust people that she didn’t know in case they were after her and her powers. Whilst on the other hand…

She was so lonely.

Her gut ached at the reminder of how lonely she was. Walking half way across Remnant, never staying in the same place more than a couple of days, her only continuous companion was a cynical alcoholic who wasn’t even there half the time, disappearing and reappearing seemingly at random. She knew he had good reasons for it, but it didn’t stop her resenting him a slight bit.

She didn’t have anyone anymore.

And that realisation made her feel **_hollow_ ** inside.

…

She picked up the glass and tilted it to pour the golden liquid into her mouth. The taste was pleasant but not anything to rave about, malty with a slight bitterness. ‘ _Well if Ozpin wants to complain then he should have sent me someone who actually sticks around._ ’

“You said you’ve been walking for a while. Are you going anywhere in particular?” She asked after putting down the drink.

“No, not really.” The man replied. “I go where the road takes me.”

“All on your own?”

He nodded. “Most of the time yes. I have travelled with people in the past, but it’s always been a temporary thing.”

“Well I guess we’ve got that in common.” Amber said looking down at her glass with a sombre look on her face.

“I’ve done it all my life and I'll probably do it until the day I die” He said. There was a small pause before he continued “I’m going to assume you’re a wanderer like me. Are you going anywhere in particular?”

Amber didn’t look up to address him but replied “It’s a personal matter I’d rather not talk about it.”

It wasn’t really a truthful statement, but it wasn’t a full lie ether. She had been asked that same question many times in her life that the answer that she gave became a routine to her, a reflex. She always hated lying, but now she was almost living a lie. Always avoiding the truth when talking to people, never being allowed to talk about who she truly was or what she felt. All of it just to protect herself from people who may or may not exist and try to hurt her. She felt the hole in her stomach continue to grow larger. Could she do this all her life?

The man then turned back to his drink. “Then I won’t pry any further. Sorry to have bothered you.”

The pit in her stomach continue to grow larger and larger, as if it was eating away at her insides. This whole conversation was just reminding her of all that she has lost and all she could never have.

“How?” She asked absentmindedly, not even really expecting an answer. She just needed to ask it. “How are you able to keep going when you don’t have anything to look forward to, just more wandering from place to place.”

She begged her body to stay strong, to not show weakness but as her vision blurred from the tears forming in her eyes, she knew she’d lost that fight. Her struggle to hold back the crying was interrupted by a light pressure on her shoulder. Her head turned and saw the duster wearing man had placed down his hands in comfort. His eyes showed sympathy and perhaps… a touch of understanding.

“Unfortunately, some people are just built for it better than others. I wish I could give you a better answer than that.” He hesitated for a moment, decided it was best to continue. “If walking the roads causes you so much misery then why do you do it?”

Amber opened her mouth to reply but stopped herself before she said something, she could end up regretting. “I...I just need to…”

An awkward silence fell on the conversation. Amber was wallowing in her own misery and self-pity, and the stranger was hopping back and forth between looking at the sad girl beside him and looking off, deep in thought. After a few minutes of this, the male of the duo sharply turned his head to me ties with the young maiden. “When are you leaving town?”

Amber blinked in surprise. There was something new about this man now. His eyes, there was a spark of determination in them. Like he was about to face the whole world but did not care.

“Tomorrow.” She answered quietly.

“Would you like me to travel with you?”

Amber’s eyes widened in shock. The only noise that she could produce was an undignified “Huh?”

“Would you like me to travel with you?” The imposing man repeated.

She was really torn this time. Her heart and mind were waging a vicious war between each other. Her cold and logical mind reminded her that she didn’t know this man, of how he could be a danger to her, that Ozpin had clearly told her not to do stuff like this and endanger herself when there might be people out to get her. These were all very compelling arguments that made a lot of sense and would keep her out of danger and trouble if she were to follow them.

But her heart just needed to remind her of how miserable she was, how much she hated that Ozpin had put her into this situation, how she wasn’t allowed to form connections with potential because they might be out to get her, how she had turned from a hopeful woman with a desire to help people to a lonely, paranoid shell of who she was.

Did she want him to travel with her? Yes! Yes, she did, more than anything right now. She wanted to be with someone, to connect with someone, to have a friend.

But could she allow herself to?

…

Yes!

She was strong. Probably one of the strongest in the world. Even if she was a little inexperienced with the Maiden powers, it wouldn’t matter in the end. With them she could take out entire huntsman teams on her own. What would one guy with a few guns be able to do against her? She was Amber, the Fall Maiden! She could make her own decisions. She would not let fear rule her life. She **will** make a new friend this day, no matter what.

“I would like that.” Though she sounded strong and fearless in her mind, her response came out sounding slightly pathetic to her. But, oh wow, to finally stand up against her own fears and to Ozpin’s words. It was as the weight of the world was finally lifted off her. The relief she felt almost made her burst into tears. She held firm though. _‘Don’t want to embarrass myself in front of him again._ ’

Extending her arm, she was met with a tight grip as they shook hands. “My name is Amber. It’s nice to meet you.”

The man gave her a warm, toothy smile as he loosened his grip on her hand. He tilted his hat with his thumb and forefinger before responding with.

“You can call me Six. Or if you want to be more formal, Courier Six.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! 
> 
> Thanks for taking a look at my story. I haven't posted anything to AO3 before so so please don't bully me for anything that isn't right.
> 
> Any feedback that you can give would be much appreciated.
> 
> Hope you have a great day!


	2. Chapter 2

“Beginning audio log. The date is July 8th, second year of the expedition. I normally wouldn’t make one of these unless it was important. But my guts telling me I should, so here goes nothing. I’ve stopped in some tiny town, Greshole, on my way to Vale City. Was planning on helping out some of the locals with odds and ends or something more important before moving on. When I walked into the local watering hole, I saw someone.”

Six’s words were filled with hesitation and exasperation. Not only because he was tired but because he still wasn’t sure if recording this was worth it. He used these tapes to record significant moments in his journey, or occasionally to vent about something on his mind. However this time he was talking about a girl he just met. This was very out of character for him, he knew that and yet he still was continuing to speak into the recording device that sat on the table in front of him. 

“She stood out amongst the crowd, was dressed all different, on her own, had some fancy Huntsman weapon hidden under a cloak. She was like an oyster with how clammed up she looked. When I approached to try and figure her out she was even worse. Twitching, on edge, didn’t make much eye contact. She didn’t seem like she was on the run from something, in fact I think she wanted to tell me what was up but she just couldn’t for whatever reason. It hurt to look at.”

The room he was in was a cosy one. Smooth, dark wood panelled the floor walls and ceiling. A single-person bed tucked into the corner with a window slightly above the head of the piece of furniture. He was currently sitting at the only other thing significant in the room, a tiny slim wooden desk. It was far from the worst place that Six had ever slept in but then again that wasn’t saying much. The worst sleeping situation that came to mind was when he had to set up camp in a bombed out villa bathroom with mines outside his door to make sure he got no unwanted visitors.

“So I offered to travel with her, maybe I could do the same thing as I did with Cass and the others. Worked out well for them. But there’s more...there’s something about her, like she has an air of power surrounding her. Not an authoritative one like that military woman I met a while ago had but more like the one you get from a large fire or powerful weapon...I’m just talking out my ass at this point.”

Six let out a groggy grunt. Dam his bad habit of rambling when he doesn’t know what to do. 

“I’ll see if my gut is right on this one. I may have stumbled onto something I’m not quite prepared for again.”

A soft click was heard as Six pressed the end record button on the small black box in front of him. He got this old hollow tape recorder after looting the Vicky and Vance Casino. He was really confuse the first time he saw it after noticing it’s incredibly well-kept condition considering it was in the hands of Powder Gangers for quite some time. Just his luck he guessed.

Ever since he’s been keeping track of his journey. From his mighty highs to…the times he’s not proud of. Desperation can lead a man to many horrible, immoral things. And he’s been in some of the worst situations. Situations that still give him nightmares sometimes. He’d learned to live with them. They were his history, it was a part of him, he couldn’t allow himself to forget. 

He owed as much to him. Who would he be to not know his own history.

This line of thought was not a healthy one. Six closed his eyes to help summon the willpower to bury the memories that weren’t needed right now. Instead, he must focus on the future. What he needed to do. The answer to that was sleep.

He quickly undressed himself down to his underwear, draping his clothes lazily over the single chair in the room. Even with his eyelids half closed he caught his reflection in the mirror station over the desk. Dozens upon dozens of scars littered his body, all of them shaped differently, all of them telling a different story. His eyes were drawn to the largest one on his chest, a triangular shaped scar directly over the part of the rib cage where his heart was located. Tracing his fingers over the lines where the incisions were made his mind played back the memories of where he got them from. Piercing blue lights, insane ramblings of mad scientists, bloodthirsty abominations. All these things he remembered of ‘that place’. Back then it was a nightmare, one he had to live through alone. But the rewards he got from living through that experience was, at least in his opinion, well worth it. 

Quickly losing the energy to keep standing up and gawk at himself, he turned from his reflection and fell on his rented bed. His eyes automatically shut as The thoughts of the past melted away to be replaced by exhaustion. He really was stupid for pushing himself as much as he had done. Almost a whole week without sleep. He had gone on longer before but in those situations he had the paranoia and panic filled adrenaline to keep on going. This time it was only him walking. His many cybernetics helped as best they could but he still had living parts and they need to rest every now and then. Like right now for instance.

…

And just like that, Six was asleep.

* * *

This sight in front of her this morning was a surprise to Amber. Her routine of waking up and getting ready hadn’t been altered at all. It was when she went downstairs for breakfast that she saw something that caused her eyes to widen in awe.

The mysterious and charming man she met last night, who is supposedly going to travel with her to the City of Vale, was gorging on a mountain of food in front of him. Taking humongous bites of food until his cheeks puffed out. Ravenously tearing into the food, then quickly snatching the large beer glass of water and chugging down its contents. His plate was stacked with burnt sausages, overdone eggs, soggy toast and a mishmash of other foods arbitrarily thrown onto the plate. It was a very undignified site.

She hesitantly approached the man and nervously called out to him. “Good morning.”

“And a good morning to you too.” Six returned after finishing a large mouthful of food.

Amber looked down at his plate ones more. The plate was half empty and yet it still seems to be twice the portion that she would have. “How are you able to eat so much food?”

“Would you believe me if I said it all goes to my hips?”

Amber let out a huff of amusement. “Ha. That would explain why everyone was staring at your behind when you walked in yesterday.”

Six simply raised his hands in a shrug, a playful grin on his face. “What can I say, everyone seems to want a piece of me.”

Six’s eyes went back to his food as he started carving them up again. “So, what’s the plan?”

“We’re going to head out at ten, so you better have everything you’ve got ready by then.”

Six nodded his head. “You’re preaching to the choir. I need to always be prepared and so I always have my stuff on me. That reminds me, I need to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“We need to know about each other’s skill sets and fighting capabilities so we can cover each other better. Are you okay with this?”

Amber's body tensed up. An action that didn’t go unnoticed by Six, though he did not comment on it. Her eyes shifted away form Six in discomfort, an obvious tell.

“Um…well...I’m a fully trained Huntress with all the combat experience that that brings.” Amber hesitated, this was just like when she was being interviewed for a spot at Beacon. “And I've been travelling for a while now, so I’ve picked up a few things about survivalism on top of what was taught at the academies. What about you? Are you a Huntsman?”

Amber looked up from her uncomfortable fidgeting. Six gave her a look that she couldn’t identify. The closest thing she could think of was scepticism. But if he was feeling sceptical, he didn’t press her on what she said. The cowboy look alike puts down his mug after he finished gulping down some of his coffee.

“I’m not an official Huntsmen, no. Although I do have similar skills to one. Alright, where to begin? Well for starters and proficient in many types of firearms. Pistols, rifles, shotguns, machine guns, launches, basically anything that I can get my hands on.”

Amber’s memory flashback to the night before where the man sitting across from her walked in carrying a small arsenals worth of guns. If he was telling the truth he knew how to use all of them.

“So your a Jack-of-all, master-of-none kind of guy?” She asked.

“Well my name is not Jack so I wouldn’t say that.” He answered flatly. “But you’re not too far off the mark, I've made it my mission to never be unprepared in any situation I find myself in. If that includes knowing how to use every single weapon that I ever pick up then so be it.”

‘A very understandable philosophy to have. Though if he’s not over exaggerating, it sounds more like an obsession rather than a general wanting to be readiness.’ Amber thought.

“Alongside that I also know how to use explosives, i’m skilled at mechanics and repairing stuff, first-aid and basic surgery is also something I’m good at, i’ve also had training in martial arts and hand-to-hand…”

Ok, now things were starting to sound a bit far-fetched. Ether this guy was ex-Atlus special forces or this definitely went beyond just wanting to be ready for any situation. 

“So your saying that you’re good at everything? Would you blame me if I was a bit sceptical?” 

“No. In fact I’d praise you for not believing everything someone tells you.” He answord cooly. “If you hang out with me long enough you’ll learn that my skills are the real deal.”

Six finished up his breakfast, scooping up the last of his food and shoving them into his mouth. He barely seemed to chew before swallowing it down quickly getting up from his seat. “If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I’m going to go outside for a quick cigarette.”

“You smoke?” Amber asked, a slight tinge of disapproval in her voice. ‘Great, one man killing himself with drink and the other killing himself with smoke.’

“Only once in awhile.” The man replied, heading towards the exit. “Helps me to focus when I’ve got something on my mind. I’ll be back before we head off.”

And with that he left the bar.

Amber stared at the door that he exited through. Her thoughts so distracted that she didn’t even notice the food that had been placed in front of her by the giant bar keeper. Her mind attaching itself to one question. ‘What does he have on his mind?’

* * *

Six had a lot on his mind. And so he needed some time to make sense of his turbulent thoughts. All outside sensations that Six could have felt in this moment were masked by the strong, choking cigarettes that he had lit up. Shutting out everything invasive to his mind as to allow himself some amount of peace to think. After all, it was not as if the smoke actually affected him.

The conversation he just had was very enlightening.

Six knew that if he asked the wrong questions to Amber, she would clam up even further than she already was and make it extremely hard to find out the truth. So, he had to choose his words carefully. Ever since last night when they first met, her defensive nature but readiness to accept a traveling companion had bugged him. If the people close to Six where to assign a character flaw to him, the one at the top of the list would be his uncontrollable curiosity. And this woman made him very curious. 

Direct yet generic questions would do the best, he had decided. Something that would be asked of someone before traveling with them, yet out of the blue enough and to throw off their train of thought. And when your train of thought is broken, you make mistakes. Like reveal to him a piece of information that clears up the picture that your trying to obscure.

When he asked her about her abilities, she became noticeably flustered. He learned that she was a trained Huntress, a trained combatant and someone who has been traveling the world long enough to have developed skills outside of academic training.

Her question at the end was an obvious attempt to move the conversation away from her and onto him. The fidgeting suggested that she was uncomfortable with the question he asked in particular. Something which gave away just as much information than if she was to just tell him.

‘Combining together her attitude from last night with her hesitation to answer my question, one logical outcome can be drawn. She is purposely hiding something about herself, most likely an ability or skill that she possesses, and so to keep other people from finding out she keeps them at arm’s-length. However this is probably created some loneliness and so she jumped at the chance for some form of social interaction. Maybe she’s an assassin who’s trying to leave her old life behind. Or maybe she’s got a Semblance that she thinks people will hunt and exploit her for if they find out. Both make sense. I need to find out more while not pushing her away. I’ll take the subtle approach for now and slowly chip away the mysteries behind her.’

Six took one last breath of his cigarette before crushing it in his hand. Ignore ping the slight burning pain of the remnants of the burning Tabasco, he began thinking of the future instead of the past.

Knowing his luck and track record when came to traveling, there was most likely going to be some form of complications along the road. He’d need to be prepared for it.

* * *

“You have a horse?” Six asked, his voice and face clearly showed how surprised he was.

The two of them met back up again, a few hours after Six left the bar, just on the outskirts of the tiny town. Small stable was set up, containing around half a dozen horses of various sizes and breeds. Amber turned her head to face Six, finishing up with strapping the saddle on her white coated steed.

“Yeah. Is there a problem?” She replied back. 

‘Oh no! Is he allergic to horses? Does he think I’m weird for having a horse. Will he laugh at me and call me silly? Is he going to change his mind about traveling with me?’ She internally panicked. 

“No, I’m Just slightly surprised is all.” Six answered, much to her relief . “How are you able to afford one? Horses eat a ton of food.”

Amber when back to strapping the saddle on her horse while continuing the conversation. “Usually, I offer my services as a Huntress to towns, clearing out grim that are threatening them and such. In exchange they give me and Cotton food and a place to sleep.”

“You called your horse Cotton?”

Amber spun her head to meet Six an angry glare, her brown face sporting an adorable pout. “What’s wrong with her name?” She demanded.

“Nothing! It’s jus…”

“You ask too many questions!” She half yelled her features now sporting a slight shade of red. “We’re leaving now!”

“Ok, ok, sorry!” Six yelped, fearing her growing scorn.

The two of them began to set off from the town, each one a mystery to the other. A mysterious cowboy wanderer with an arsenal on his back and a young maiden with a tightly kept secret. An unlikely duo to wonder the lonesome roads of the Valean wilderness.

Their exit of the town, however, did not go unnoticed. A lone figure skulked in the shadows cast by the wide buildings. He wore a black and grey shirt with tattered trousers that were burned at the knees, leaving then ragged. Fingerless gloves reached into his pocket and pulled out his Scroll. Putting it up to his ear, he tapped his metallic, robot feet on the ground. Partly out of impatience, partly out of nervousness. 

‘She is not going to be happy about this.’ He thought to himself. Eventually, the dialling ended as his call was received.

“We may have a slight problem.”


	3. Chapter 3

" _Welcome back folks, it's me, Mr New Vegas, here to give you a very special message from me to you. Are you ready? Here it is folks...I love you._ "

Amber never thought that she'd be hearing the soothing voice of the radio DJ through Six's wrist-computer-thing. But apparently the man of a million talents, 'Pipboy' also shared his apparent traits of being able to do absolutely everything. When she first laid her eyes on the bulky contraption on his arm, she never expected something so archaic looking would even be functioning, let alone playing the radio. But when her courier companion told her that it not only worked but that it could also be used to listen to the radio, manage his inventory, keep track of his vital signs, document personal statistics, raise data files and listen to audio recordings, she wasn't even surprised.

She did wonder, however, what exactly it was. She'd never seen anything like it before. It certainly didn't look like it was from Atlas but it almost reeked of their need for technological development. Maybe it was some kind of prototype from years ago that he somehow got his hands on?

" _Got the latest news just for all you wonderful listeners, so here it is._

 _An official investigation has begun into Major Violet Belle of the Atlesian military and the former Atlus Councilman Gorgon Steel. The investigation follows accusations of corruption and bribery, with a public inquiry being held in the coming weeks._ "

When Amber asked Six about where he got his Pipboy from, he simply answered that it was given to him by a friend. If he were to tell the full story, it'd take hours and would delve a bit too much into his personal life than he'd be comfortable with. Maybe when they were a bit closer. But for now, the short and vague story he gave would have to do.

" _And our second story. Strange lights and sounds around the abandoned docks of Vale have been reported by locals. Law-enforcement searches of the area have turned up no explanation. Spooky ain't it folks. This public news broadcast was sponsored by Hue's Hair. Hue's Hair, 'The way you were meant to be.'_

 _This next song goes out to all the beautiful people of the kingdoms. And of course, that means you._ "

The duo's journey so far had been uneventful for the most part, filled with awkward attempts of small talk and occasional bouts of personal questions and queries. Amber was riding her frosty haired horse with Six keeping pace alongside it. The brown dirt road that they had walked was straight and boring, flanked on both sides by wooden fences, with dense forests beyond. The only sound that accompanied them was the rustling of the trees and clopping of the horse's hooves. It was one of the reasons for the radio being on, to break up the monotony. Usually there was a landmark or two between settlements to give ease too Six's need to explore and discover. However, as of this moment, he had put this particular road into his top three 'Most Boring Roads I've Ever Walked' list. 'Gods this was so dull.' If it hadn't been for Amber and the radio, Six might have gone wandering off into the forest just to get a different kind of scenery to look at. That, of course, would have been a terrible idea but it was a tempting one.

As the song 'Jingle Jangle Jingle' played in the background, Six turned to amber and broke the silence as they walked.

"So…you have business in Vale or is it just a stopping point on your journey somewhere else?"

Amber looked down at the duster-wearing man, the brim of his hat shielding his brown eyes from the sunlight.

"I don't think I should be discussing my business with you. It's personal so talking about it to someone who I met yesterday wouldn't feel right."

' _I ask another question and she tightens her grip further. Need to lay off them until I can get her to trust me,'_ Six thought.

Amber turned back to the road and asked, "What about you? Why are you heading there?"

"Never stay in the same place for too long," he shrugged, seemingly apathetic to his own answer.

"Don't have a reason to, don't have a home to go back to, don't ever feel like I really belong. So, I just do some odd jobs, help out a person or two and then move on. Sometimes I stick around for a while if I like it there or find it pleasant to explore but I always move on in the end."

Amber turned back to her companion. His eyes were forward, gazing at the road ahead of them. Focused, not displaying any emotion, positive or negative. Simply staring forward to the road ahead.

' _How can you say something so… sad with so little care? No home to go back to. Not feeling that he belongs. I guess we are more alike than I thought. Is this what I'll become? So, jaded to the point that I don't even care anymore. That sounds awful._ '

"So... what's your plan?" Amber asked trying to get her mind away from the sad thoughts.

"Don't really have one." Six stated matter-of-factly.

"Really?"

"Yup…"

"No plan at all?"

"Nope…"

The brunette Maiden let out a cute huff and pouted.

"You know the more questions you answer the less I seem to understand."

The Courier chuckled in response. His laugh was low and rumbling, like an earthquake in his vocal cords.

' _Right back at you, mysterious maiden. Right back at you,_ ' he thought to himself as they exited the wooded forest and saw hilly terrain.

...

...Wait!

"Do you see that?" Six suddenly asked, pointing his finger directly down the road in front of them.

Amber spun her head to Six, then eyes follow the direction he pointed at. Slightly off center of the worn-down dirt that made up the path, there was something or someone prone on the ground.

"Is that a little girl?"

It was. Now that the two of them were closer she could see her clearly. A Little girl, no older than five, with shoulder length mint blue hair and a blueish-grey dress, was curled up into a ball crying into her knees, the mangled remains of a pink bicycle beside her.

As Amber halted her horse, Six stopped beside her, his eyes intently focused on the crying girl.

' _What's that look for?'_ Amber mused to herself. _'Well it doesn't matter, if he's got some vendetta against crying children then let him, what I need to do is comfort her and find out how I can help.'_

She dismounted her horse, ignoring her messenger companion's best angry statue impression, and began to approach the child.

Six, on the other hand, looked down at his Pipboy, more specifically it's map. There was nothing. No towns. No villages. The girl didn't look like she was part of any nomadic tribe. There were no other people around. No evidence of there having been people around here recently. Just a girl and a broken bike.

He took his eyes off the map and arced his gaze around the terrain. He saw the girl that Amber was now kneeling in front of. He saw an open field, flanked on both sides by small hills. The perfect spot for an ambush.

The entirety of his body clenched. His well-honed instincts were screaming at him that something was wrong. The air was suddenly so thick to him that he could barely breathe. Time almost froze as his eyes stopped. And his gaze locked with the empty air in front of him. No, not empty.

There was something there.

* * *

Emerald's entire body felt like it was filled with cement. Every muscle and fiber in her being was taught and burning, sweating. She never struggled this much with her semblance. Then again, she only used it on one person at a time, one person hallucinating whatever she wanted. Two people though. Accounting for all the different angles, all their senses and how they would interact with one another. It taxed her. But it didn't matter. The pain didn't matter. She needed to do this. She had to prove herself worthy. She had to.

" _Looks like this will be an opportunity to prove yourself. Can you surpass my original expectations for you? You know what will happen if you fail._ "

The words of her mistress still echoed in her mind. She knew what would happen if she failed. So, she wouldn't.

When Mercury had told them that there would be a second person that they would have to deal with, Cinder was furious. Another fool to deal with when she was so close to getting the power of the Fall Maiden. Another loose end to tie up. This was not acceptable. However, her mood greatly improved when he told her that the new guy wasn't even a Huntsman, just some overcompensating mercenary with a stupid mysterious backstory and stupid edgy name. Who would choose to be called 'Courier Six'? Completely ridiculous. All that would be required is a small addition to Cinder's original plan.

So here she was, pain coursing through her body, creating perfect hallucinations for two people. Soon they would strike. Quickly take out the cowboy lookalike merc, then all gang up on the Maiden, restrain her and then Cinder would take her power. It just all hinged on her, with the two of them distracted by her semblance they'd be easy prey. She could do this. She would not fail. Not when Cinder was relying on her.

The cloaked brunette kneeled on the ground a slight distance in front of Emerald. Her arm and hand outstretched, reaching for a girl that wasn't there. In her hand sat a bright red apple, offering it to the air where her hallucination was.

Emerald's gaze hardened at the sight of the Fall Maidens charity.

' _Foolish. All her power and she doesn't have the will to use it._ '

Now was the time to start this.

Reaching behind her for the grip of her weapon she spared a glance toward the male stranger behind her target.

He was staring right at her.

His eyes were narrow. His stance was stiff. He would almost look like a statue were it not for his clothing swaying in the wind. A fingerless gloved hand hovered beside a pistol holster. And he was staring right at her!

Emerald began to panic, the previous stabbing pain forgotten to her in this moment. Could he see her? No. He would've said something. Done something. He was just staring. Staring right at her. With a look that could kill. She couldn't take her eyes off him. Their gazes met, at least from her perspective. A monsoon of emotions swept inside her, fear, anger, confusion, then right back to fear again.

Why? Why was he just staring at her? No that's not right. Why is he not paying attention to her hallucination?

"Amber!"

Every muscle in Emerald's body froze.

The young huntress turned her head back in annoyance.

"What?"

The man didn't move. Not a single muscle. Those few milliseconds felt like eternities to the thief girl.

"...there's something there."

No. No! NO! This was not happening! She wouldn't screw up! Cinder was relying on her! Emerald placed one foot back, getting into a fighting stance.

Unfortunately for her, she kicked up some dust from the road.

And Six saw it.

SWOOSH. CLICK. BANG!

Emerald leaped back, her instincts and aura kicking in as the cowboy mercenary had drawn his gun and fired it. She didn't even realize he hit her until she landed on her feet again. Thankfully, her aura protected her from the shot. Dammit! How did he move so fast? How was he able to hit her when he wasn't even supposed to be able to see her? Dam him! Dam him to whatever hell he crawled out from. She was going to kill him! She was not going to fail Cinder.

* * *

Amber did not expect this to happen. One minute she was helping a crying girl, the next Six seemed to shoot at the air in front of them and somehow hit something. As the bullet collided with whatever was standing there, the girl in front of her vanished. An illusion! An ambush! The young Maiden jumped back, drawing her collapsible staff from her cloak whilst throwing off the restrictive piece of clothing. The ends of her weapon were tipped with different dust gems, one red and one white, air and fire. She could see the person Six fired at now. A dark-skinned woman with mint green hair tied into a thin ponytail behind her head. Dressed in light, minimal clothing that did nothing to hide the vicious weapons behind her back. Sickles with built-in revolvers from the looks of them. A close to medium-range fighter. Just need to keep her at a distance.

The green-haired assailant charged for the duo, her twin weapons firing at the both of them as she closed the distance. Amber channeled her aura into her hands, simply deflecting the bullets as they flew at her. Six just stood there. Gazing down the sights of the large revolver and continued to fire, he made no effort to dodge the bullets that were flying around him.

Amber raised up her bow staff and brought it down with colossal might, the white dust propelling a huge gust of wind towards their attacker. The charging woman was thrown back, letting out a yell of surprise and shock.

Six quickly reloaded his gun. He was about to start unloading at their young attacker when he heard it, the quick pattering of feet on the ground rushing towards them. Not just any feet, metal ones. The Courier spun on his heels, coming face-to-face with a young man about to drop kick him. Young, silver-haired, ragged trousers barely covering robotic legs. In a flash of movement, six reached out his free hand and grabbed the flying teen, throwing him down to the ground using his momentum to help carry him. The young male collided with the ground like a hammer hitting a nail. Had it not been for his aura, his rib cage would've probably been broken.

Mercury didn't wait for a follow-up, however. Kicking out of the grasp of their target's companion, he rolled himself back onto his feet and quickly engaged with the gunslinger. The two males traded blow after blow. The young assassin swiping and kicking while the older wanderer expertly deflected and parried every strike with his strange mix of martial arts. Mercury quickly started to get frustrated at the obvious lack of effort this guy was putting into fending him off.

Seeing that Six was doing fine against the newcomer, Amber decided to continue focusing on the girl. Though she needed to be careful. If Six found out about her Maiden powers that would be bad for the both of them. Raising her staff once again, Amber began to quickly spin it around herself. Colored flames began to rage around her, dancing as she conjured them through the dust on the opposite side of her weapon. Emerald, just after recovering from the last strike, quickly saw the attack coming and jumped to the side, narrowly escaping the wall of fire.

Both pairs continued to trade attacks with one another. Emerald was clearly out powered by the older, stronger Huntress, only keeping her off thanks to her semblance and quick movement. Mercury, however, was having an even worse time. The young assassin was completely outclassed in this match-up. Every attack was simply pushed aside. Every defensive block he put up was barely enough to stop an incoming kick or punch. And the guy wasn't even using any weapon, just his limbs. Yet he still hit like a truck. Just who was this punk? And where the hell was Cinder?

Six's face was neutral, his mind focused. Once he found the rhythm of the fight, he could slowly disassemble his opponent's fighting style and counter them. He didn't usually have to, preferring to keep his opponents at a range where he could just shoot them. But he could fight hand-to-hand if he needed to. But he didn't like fighting children. They were usually coerced into doing so or so desperate that they'd be willing to take the risk. But from what the Courier could tell, these two weren't either of the above. This boy in front of him was trying to kill him, not just disable him and steal his stuff. He was specifically fighting to kill. And Six would have a few questions for him once he wore him down.

As his opponent quickly stepped back from a powerful strike, Six immediately went into a neutral stance. He could hear Amber's clash with the female assailant. He knew she could handle it and so left her to it. The silver-haired boy's face portrayed his obvious frustration. Boiling red with harsh, gritted teeth. His expression then quickly became surprise, then a smug grin.

Six was about to turn. About to face what caused the boy's sudden shift of attitude.

But it was too late.

A sudden piercing pain shot through his back. Letting out a cry, Six shifted his attention to the new threat. A woman, in a short red dress and smooth black hair stood proudly down the path he was walking not too long ago. Her gemstone-like eyes glimmering with satisfaction. In her hand she held a black bow, intricate and deadly. The stinging pain of the arrow protruding from his shoulder became numb to him as he focused on her.

Standing with confidence and self-assurance, this woman screamed of overseeing this little ambush. Beautiful but deadly, the archetypal femme-fatale. Six had seen her type before. He'd fought her type before. They were dangerous. And Six knew dangerous when he saw it. He needed to take her down and quickly.

"Amber! You deal with these two, I'll take her!"

Amber quickly recognized the order, dividing her attention between her opponents. She moved quickly, putting even distance between her and the two of them while making sure she was in an advantageous position.

Six dashed towards his new adversary. From his coat he drew a pistol. A dark .45 Auto, with a rattlesnake skin grip and fine writing engraved into the side of the slider. He began to fire at the dark-haired woman, with quick but careful shots, aiming at her center of mass. He had to make sure that she'd feel the pressure. He couldn't take another hit like that again.

Cinder simply smirked as she deflected the bullets being fired at her. This man, who had the simple appearance of a thug with a gun, was definitely more than he let on. But it did not matter. She would simply dispose of this man and then turned her attention to a lone, worn out Maiden. Then she would take what was rightfully hers.

As Six reloaded, Cinder quickly seized the moment, dashing forward to close the distance. He had no weapons to defend himself against her blades. She would cut him to pieces. Attacking with wide strikes, it allowed Six to roll underneath her swing arcs. Finishing his reload, he unleashed a hail of bullets at Cinder, chipping into her aura for every bullet that hit. She wasn't going to take it lying down though, quickly following up her attack with a flurry of swipes, pushing Six onto the defensive.

He attempted to counter, but either his speed or luck ran out, allowing Cinder a pair of solid strikes. Catching more of his armor than flesh, it wasn't enough to seriously hurt him. It was, however, a reminder that this woman was incredibly dangerous.

The two seemed to fight forever. Whilst Amber, Emerald and Mercury were close to collapsing from exhaustion, Six and Cinder continued to fight ferociously. He knew he was starting to lose. He wasn't built for close engagements. His training and experience didn't set him up for someone as aggressive and well-trained as this. His aura was already gone, his body now running entirely on fumes. A death by a thousand cuts. And this woman knew it. The satisfaction in her face showed she was going to win. She wasn't even at half-strength, while the blood dripping down his shaking arm betrayed his condition. He did have one more trick, and he'd need to apologize to Amber about it later.

' _It's about time I end this,'_ Cinder thought. As she sauntered over to her latest victim, Six once again raised his arms in a ready stance. _'If he wants to die on his feet then let him'_. In a blindingly fast motion, she struck his upper limbs with her blades. Before he could dodge or jump back, she followed up the attack again, this time, striking at his torso. Blood jumped from the newly created wound, landing on the side of the road, coating the nearby grass in red. A small pathetic yell was heard from the man before he fell face first to the ground.

It took a moment for Amber to notice. Both her and her attackers were completely exhausted. Having to fight without revealing her powers put her at a major disadvantage. She could disguise a bit with her dust but not enough to make a difference. When she saw the blood, she knew what had happened. With the new woman standing triumphantly over his corpse, it felt as though half a dozen knots had formed in her gut and were pulling and tugging at her insides. She knew that this was her fault. She knew that he'd just died because of her.

She felt despair.

She felt fury.

Amber collected every scrap of power within her and unleashed it in a tidal wave of Maiden fire. The force and flames of her attack knocked back her three opponents. Emerald was once again knocked off her feet. Mercury attempted to tank the blow, falling to his knees in pain and only through grit managing to stay conscious. Cinder, still fresh compared to the three of them, gracefully leaped through the flames, knowing that her quarry was in a weakened state. Now was the time to end it.

A heavily battered and bruised Emerald and Mercury rallied behind their leader, recognizing her wordless command. The two of them dashed to Amber's sides in a pincer maneuver while Cinder engaged from the front. The now exhausted Huntress attempted to fend them off, attempted to avenge her companion, but it was no use. Outnumbered, she was easily grappled by the two minions and puppeteered into a vulnerable position. Kneeling with her arms outstretched she couldn't break out of their grasp.

The two younger attackers both looked to their leader, their eyes staring with expectancy. Both were obviously hurting. Scrapes, burns and bruises scattered all over their bodies. Cinder simply looked on in satisfaction. Finally, the power would be hers. Casually sauntering over to her captive, she produced a white glove with strange red runic patterns on the back and palm of the hand.

Placing the glove on, anticipation began to bubble inside her. The power she felt now with this woman at her mercy would be nothing to what she would take from her. The power of the Maiden. Cinder reached out towards the terrified woman. The Grimm creature within the glove emerged from the palm, ready to take what should be hers.

…

The impact of the bullet took Cinder by surprise.

An earth-shattering pain struck her whole body. Cinder quickly turned to look at who would dare interrupt her moment of triumph.

And saw Six standing there. A revolver grasped in his hand.

' _What?'_ She thought, her face contorting with fury. _'I killed you! You should be dead!'_

Another shot flew towards her, colliding with her torso. Her aura strained to keep her protected. Blinded by fury, Cinder rushed towards him, determined to squash this bug that would dare defy her.

Which was exactly what Six wanted. _'Two shots down, four more to go,'_ the Courier thought to himself.

Another shot was fired, hitting its mark before the charging woman once again reached him. Blows, blocks, parries and deflections were traded between the two. Emerald and Mercury simply watched them fight, fearing what would happen if Amber got free.

Cinder's once graceful fighting was muted by her overwhelming anger. It gave Six a new advantage. While he remained unflinching and focused, she fought with power while substituting speed. When she left an opening, he seized it and struck. Her aura was starting to suffer but he knew he couldn't keep it up forever. He needed their second round to end quickly for him to win. And the longer this flight dragged the more likely he was to die for real this time. She wouldn't be tricked again.

Unless…

Six fell to one knee, dropping his firearm. He clutched at his chest where a new wound was given to him by Cinder. Seeing his vulnerability and with her anger at a crescendo, she prepared to kill him.

' _This time, I'll make sure you're dead.'_ Her smirk returned. Pulling back her arm, she aimed her sword at his chest. She lunged it forward.

Only to be suddenly stopped, her arm caught by his left hand, the blade she carried mere inches away from his heart.

"Gotcha," he said smugly.

As quick as a flash, the hand that was clutching his chest reached underneath his duster and pulled out a huge Bowie knife. 'Blood-Nap'. Driving the blade in an upward arc, its edge found her flesh and bone. But it did not stop. Carving through the entirety of her arm just below the elbow, a bloody tearing sound was heard as her lower limb separated from her body. The blood flowed from her wound just as much as her screams from her throat.

Six fell back, his exhaustion only now catching up with him. To him the fight was over, nobody he knew could keep standing following the shock of losing a limb like that. But this woman was just full of surprises.

Cinder grasped at her bleeding stump. Sensations and emotions flowing inside her like a tornado: pain, disbelief, anger, fear, each one fueling the other. She wanted to curl up into a ball and pray for the pain to stop. She wanted to kill the person who had hurt her. She wanted to…

Then suddenly, a man leaped from the road behind the two keeping Amber down. His dark black hair, grey jacket and torn crimson cape made him easy to spot. His hands gripped a huge sword, almost as large as he was. As it glided through the air, Emerald and Mercury barely jumped out of its way, losing their grip on Amber as a result.

Standing between the exhausted Maiden and her two attackers, he readied himself for a fight.

They however had other plans.

Emerald realized they had no chance now. They were badly beaten, and Cinder was in critical condition. Now was the time to run and live. Gathering up her power she projected one last hallucination onto the cowboy and this new arrival. Now was not the time to be taking chances.

Qrow watched as the green haired girl and her friend ran over towards the woman missing her arm. They then suddenly disappeared in a flash of light, leaving just him, Amber and this other guy. He had no idea what had just happened and right now it didn't matter. All he needed to do was make sure that Amber was OK. Compressing his weapon and sheathing it behind his back, he walked over to her, still prone on the ground. He reached out his hand to help her up, "Sorry I got here so late. Traffic was a nightmare."

If Amber had had the energy to, she would've slapped him. But for now, she just had to settle with glaring at him while accepting his help getting up onto her feet.

"Are you alright?"

"No," she said simply. "I'm really not."

Now that she was standing again, the gravity of the situation dawned on her. If Six hadn't come in when he did that woman would have succeeded at whatever she was doing. She turned her head to look at her savior. He was wiping down his knife with the brown rag, cleaning it of the blood that was left over after the fight. His wounds, that were a few moments ago gushing with blood, were now seemingly healed up. The only traces of them were the cuts made in his armor and duster as well as the small scars that she could see on his exposed flesh.

Amber was just glad he was alright. She didn't want anyone to die on her behalf. Now all she wanted was to rest. She prayed that the next town had a way to get to the City of Vale by Bullhead.

Qrow followed Amber's eyes and looked over to the other male. _'Who the hell is this guy?'_ He thought to himself. His outfit was not something he'd expect from anyone wandering in Vale to wear. He looked the mercenary type but more frontier gunslinger rather than brutish thug. Though, if he had saved Amber then that gave him some brownie points in Qrow's head. Good enough that he wouldn't have to kill him. Ozpin would probably want to ask a few questions though.

Six, on the other hand, was going over what had just happened. The three individuals. Who were they? What was there objective? What had he just gotten himself into? If Cass were here, she'd probably berate him for somehow always getting into trouble no matter where he went. Although, that fight was useful to him in a small way. It proved his theory…fact. With how those three had been focusing on getting to Amber, it was clear they were after her specifically. There was something special about her. And he was going to find out what. He had bled for this so he might as well see it to the end.

Just his damn luck…


	4. Chapter 4

The atmosphere of Ozpin's office was still. The uniform motions of the clockwork tower relaxed the sole occupant of the room. Gears and cogs churned away; their purpose being fulfilled. Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon Academy, gazed down at the school campus. Taking a sip from his coffee cup, his thoughts turned to the next batch of students that would attend his Academy.

With a new academic year came with it new students looking to refine themselves into huntsman and huntresses. Each one of them carried individual potential and it was him and his staff's job to see that potential unlocked. There were those who would come to the academy more skilled and others who were less so. In the end it did not matter. They would train at Beacon to become better than they were, to surpass their limitations and become worthy of the title that they wished to claim.

It was a good teacher's job to be as unbiased with their students as possible, to not allow for any favouritism to possibly affect their growth. Unfortunately, Ozpin was not blind to the fact that some were better than others. Not just in raw physical strength but in overall potential. He knew that there were some to keep a closer eye on because of this.

Yang Xiao Long was a prime example of this. Fiery, passionate and stronger than many of his third years. Her fighting capabilities were the best in her combat school class and her Semblance was a powerful one, yet she still had a lot more to grow. Unfortunately, she had two glaring weaknesses. The biggest one would be her emotional stability. Her unfortunate habit of jumping into situations without thinking things through, letting her emotions guide her. This wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if it wasn't for her being unable to temper said emotions. Beacon was not Atlas, Ozpin didn't want to hammer his students into soldiers, with rigid and dulled emotions. However, he knew that if Yang's emotions were not sorted out; it would cause issues. The second weakness was her inflexible fighting style. She was a brawler and a very good one at that, but Ozpin knew that she relied too heavily on her strength. If she was unable to land clean hits on her opponent and the fight dragged on, she'd begin to get frustrated and thus lead to the problem of her first weakness. She also lacked a good ranged option as her weapon was made to enhance her punches. This meant she would have to clear the gap between her and her opponent in order to fight most effectively. If this could not be done then she would be left without many options. There were methods around this however they would need to be taught and that was what Ozpin was here for.

Then there was the Mistral Regional Tournament champion, Pyrrha Nikos. When he had received her application to Beacon Academy, he was honestly rather surprised. He imagined she would go to Haven where it was closer to home. Even so, he would be more than happy to accept her to Beacon if she passed the entrance exam. The headmaster couldn't see her not passing if she tried even remotely. It has been a long time since he had seen anyone who was nearly as gifted as she was in combat. With her earning titles such as 'The Invincible Girl' and 'Goddess of Victory' it was evident she captured the hearts of the public with her displays of prowess in the tournaments. She was even the mascot of a cereal which, Ozpin thought, was not a common achievement amongst Huntsman. But he knew that no one was perfect. He worried that her numerous victories and unmatched fighting capabilities would make her too self-reliant, unable to give responsibility up to her peers and teammates when it mattered. There was also her ability to socialise in general. Having spent most of her life put up on a pedestal may have made her unable to develop proper social skills that are vital to a child's development. He would need to keep an eye on how she and her team developed. Hopefully everything would work out the first time, though that was overly optimistic for the headmaster.

The last of the new students on Ozpin's mind was Jaune Arc. Jaune Arc, what a strange boy he was. Ozpin knew as soon as he looked at the young Arc's transcripts that they were fake. He had many students come to his school since he had become headmaster and he looked over all their transcripts. It was a policy of his, always looking at the new age of students, picking out those that would rise above the rest. He knew a fake transcript when he saw one and the one that Jaune submitted was a prime example. Ozpin's first thought was to simply discard it and forbid Jaune from entering the Academy. However, he saw something that gave him pause. The transcripts were perfect, too perfect. This wasn't some half-baked attempt to get into the Academy with an over glorified recommendation letter, this was professionally done. Jaune Arc needed to get in even if it required less than legal methods. Either Mr. Arc was up to something nefarious or he truly, desperately wished to go to Beacon Academy. Either way, Ozpin decided to allow him in.

 _'This was definitely going to be an interesting year,'_ he thought to himself.

Ozpin's thoughts were broken by the ringing of his Scroll. Pulling it out of his jacket, the headmaster saw who was calling him and placed the device to his ear.

"Qrow."

"Oz." Qrow's voice answered from the other end. He sounded tired and frustrated, something that Ozpin didn't like to hear from his friend.

"We need a Bullhead at these coordinates right now," Qrow continued. "Autumn just got attacked, two women and one man, and we don't know if there's any more of them out there."

Ozpin's whole body tensed as his mind fired at a mile a second. His hands dashed over to his holographic console, sending orders to his pilots. "I'll send it to you as soon as possible. Do you need any backup?"

"Better safe than sorry. Though, I need to tell you, there's a plus-one here with us."

 _'A plus-one? Another person to consider.'_ the headmaster thought. "I'll send Glynda with the Bullhead. Do we know if we can trust this person?"

There was a small pause on the other end of the call before Qrow replied with, "Hard to say. He helped keep her safe, but I'd like to know why he was here in the first place."

Ozpin nodded his head, the tension in the air alleviating a slight bit. "Good. We'll discuss everything when you get here."

"Alright. I'll see ya then."

The call ended and Ozpin fell back into his chair. This was not something that he wanted to hear. A maiden being attacked while under his protection was one of the worst things he could think of happening. Players were moving like pieces on a chessboard, and he knew it was only by chance that he didn't lose anything this day.

Amber was willful, not allowing herself to be tied to the cities where it was safe for her. Ozpin knew that allowing her to go wandering around the wilderness was a dangerous idea but telling her 'no' would just make her resent him further and run away the first chance she got. He'd lost track of too many Maidens to let her slip through his fingers. So, against his better judgment, he allowed her to go out into the world with the occasional supervision from Qrow. She was still instructed to not use her powers openly for fear of drawing attention. This caused arguments every time they saw each other but Ozpin was always able to convince her in the end. She was still unhappy with the arrangement but accepted it was for the best.

Suddenly, for the second time this day, the headmaster's thoughts were interrupted. The elevator to his office made a soft 'ding' sound and then smoothly opened its doors.

One of his staff members, a pale man with combed blonde hair, clean white lab coat and black rimmed glasses, stepped into the large clockwork office.

"Ah, Professor Gannon. How can I help you?"

Professor Arcade Gannon, the school's doctor and science teacher approached Ozpin's desk with a small assortment of files and papers that he flipped through with calculated ease.

"I came to let you know that the new prospective students' medical reports have come back with no glaring issues." Arcade said, reaching into his pile of documents and placing one on the desk. "I also need you to sign this. Don't want a pack of feral lawyers to come bother us while training our hormonal teenage super soldiers."

Ozpin Felt a sinking feeling in his gut at the idea of more paperwork at this time. The New Year brought with it new students, new chances at a better future, but it also brought with it paperwork. So...so much paperwork. Sometimes it felt like he would drown in it.

"I'll get it to you at the next staff meeting," Ozpin replied, "Unfortunately, it is a good thing that you happened by my office at this time. I need you to prepare the onsite medical facilities. We may have incoming injuries."

This seemed to catch Arcade's attention, "Oh, do we now? Correct me if I'm wrong but this wouldn't happen to have anything to do with Glynda stampeding over to the landing pad would it?"

"You are correct."

"Well then," Arcade began, "I'll get started on the prep as soon as I get back then."

Arcade turned to leave the office, obviously concerned at the prospects of receiving injured people. But then, something in Ozpin made him pause. _'I wonder'_ he thought.

"Before you go, may I ask you something?" Ozpin called out.

Arcade spun back to face the headmaster, a look of curiosity and slight apprehension.

"Of course. What do you want to know?"

"You used to travel, did you not." Ozpin asked. "Did you get attacked often whilst on the road between settlements?"

"More often than I would have liked. Most of the time it was just regular Grimm but an unfortunate number of times there were people involved."

"The people that attacked you, what were they like?"

"Raiders, Bandits, Pirates, Briggins, Highwayman and a collection of other increasingly fancy words for generally the same thing." Arcade replied.

"Thugs." He spat. "Thugs looking to terrorise helpless people just to make their own lives just the tiniest bit easier. Oh, there was also the occasional assassination death-squad sent to kill us by an insane, genocidal, megalomaniacal dictator." There was a pause before Arcade continued with, "I'm of course joking with that last bit."

Ozpin nodded his head, "I understand. Thank you for answering my questions."

Arcade nodded and began to make his way back to the elevator. Stepping inside the doors slid close and leaving Ozpin on his own once again.

He felt slightly at ease now knowing that Arcade was going to be preparing for Amber and Qrow's arrival, as well as this other person. He needed to figure out what to do with them after all the panic was over. _'I'll need to see who they are and what their intentions may be. Once I know that I'll figure out what to do.'_

His gaze turned once more out the window of his office. Towards Vale, as well as the rest of the world. A world that he knew was shifting. Pieces were being moved by the players. But right now, something was telling Ozpin that the game had just entirely changed.

* * *

Qrow took the Scroll from his ear and turned back to Amber and Six. "Alright people, we've got a Bullhead coming to collect us from here, so we just have to sit tight."

The once unnoteworthy road where the two travellers had, not too long ago, been walking down was now littered with damage. Scorch marks covered large stretches of the ground with torn stone and dirt littered across like scars on flesh. It was obvious that a fight had just taken place. Whether or not anyone would pass by before nature washed it all the way was anyone's guess.

Amber was panting while examining her body for any lingering damage. Aside from Qrow, she had come out of the fight looking the best, with only a broken aura and some minor bruises. She was glad that they didn't need to walk to get to a Bullhead station. After that last fight more walking seemed like a method of torturer right now. Her eyes turned and rested on Six, worry obviously portrayed in her eyes. She saw his fight. She saw how deep that sword cut into his chest. She saw him die. At least, she thought she did.

' _Does he have some sort of healing semblance? Did he purposely get hit in order to trick that woman!?'_ Amber thought, almost spilling it out in distress.

Thud! "Screeeeeech!"

The Courier brought a heavy boot down upon the lost limb. Out of the palm of the dead appendage came a large beetle like Grimm. It squirmed and wriggled violently in pain as it's home was stepped on.

"Now what the hell are you?" Six asked as he picked up the limb to examine the creature further.

Qrow's eyes hardened as he gazed at the unfamiliar man. He didn't like him. His instincts told him something was wrong, and Qrow had learned to trust it after all he's been through.

Reaching into his shirt he took out a flask of alcohol and began to unscrew the lid, "A better question would be 'Who the hell are you?'".

In a flash of motion, Amber quickly snatched the metal container from his hands, her face clenched with fury.

"We just got out of a fight where we almost died and you immediately go to start drinking!?" her frustration continued as she spun to face Six, "And you…you IDIOT! How could you do something so stupid as to get into a melee fight with someone who was clearly a more competent fighter, with nothing but your handguns!? She was wielding Huntsman Class weapons and knew how to use them! Not to mention that stupid risk you took by letting her almost stab you so you could get that last hit on her! Had you been a millisecond too late she would have killed you and then what? What was your plan then?"

Qrow was definitely surprised by this outburst from Amber. She had gotten mad before but never to this extent. He raised his hands in an attempt to calm her, "Woh, woh Amber. I think we just need to calm down and- "

"No. She's right."

Both of them turned to Six, who had now placed the arm in some bag. He pulled the brim of his hat to cover his face as the pair of them looked at him.

' _Is he embarrassed?'_ Amber thought.

"I'm sorry Amber. I knew I wouldn't be able to beat her conventionally, so I made a split second decision." The Courier looked up towards Amber. "It was a terrible plan, I realise that now, but it was all I had left to keep you safe and end that fight. I apologise."

Inquisitive, diplomatic and cunning. From the first few minutes that Qrow had known this guy he'd already gathered that he was good. Dangerous would be the word he'd use. Now Qrow trusted him even less than he already did. This guy was bad news.

Amber, on the other hand, broke eye contact and puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.

"Just...don't do that again. I don't want anyone to die."

"Neither do I Amber." Six said with a chuff of amusement, "Neither do I."

 _'Says the guy who just dismembered someone.'_ Qrow thought.

"Don't mean to burst your bubble but we really should focus on keeping an eye out for any more on welcome guests before the Bullhead arrives."

"Right." Six nodded, "I'll clean-up over here and keep an eye out."

"Ok...that sounds ok." Amber agreed.

The three of them began to settle in for the wait. Six began arming and checking over his guns, his mind wandering to the fight before. Qrow, after convincing Amber to giver his flask back, drank himself into a calmer state while keeping vigilance. Amber was not so subtly glancing back to Six every now and again while she fiddled with her own weapon after retrieving her cloak and horse.

Six was bothered by how that Last fight went. He was able to match the metal legged boy but that dark haired woman on the other hand…

He had beaten her yes, but only by the slimmest of margins. He'd won not because he was more skilled or had better weapons but because she got too overconfident and he had a trick up his sleeve. She was a lot faster than him, able to close the distance between the two in an instant. And in a melee fight, he was at an extreme disadvantage. In that fight, she was better than him.

To Courier Six, that was unacceptable.

He'd need to get better. He'd need to get to the level where he could match her again in a straight fight without the use of his guns. Only then could he feel secure in his ability to survive.

That was all something to deal with later. Right now, he had to figure out exactly what was going on. He had a new mystery to uncover. The gloved severed arm that he now possessed. Any normal person would be morally against carrying around a severed limb of a person but Six was nowhere near normal. He plans to examine it later to figure out exactly what it was. Or, more specifically what that woman was planning to do with it to Amber. if he was able to figure that out, he'd be one step closer to answers.

It wasn't too long before the promised Bullhead arrived. It's metallic body was a stark contrast to the nature that surrounded the trio. It landed a few paces away from the small group, though it's two engines did not stop turning. A door on the side of the small aircraft, bearing the symbol of Beacon Academy, slid open to reveal a blond, middle-aged woman with a long-sleeved shirt, black skirt and a black and purple, ornately styled cape.

As this new woman caught the sight of Amber her expression turned to one of relief as she jumped out of the Bullhead and dashed towards the younger girl.

"Amber!"

"Glynda!"

The two of them embraced each other as both Six and Qrow began to make their way towards the ship.

"Are you alright? What happened?" the newly identified Glynda frantically asked.

"How about we save the Q&A for when we're in the air," Qrow started, before pointing his thumb behind him, "hope you've saved room for a horse."

As if on cue, Cotton the horse let out a loud whinny.

Glynda suddenly didn't feel that she'd enjoy the trip back home.


	5. Chapter 5

The Bullhead was cramped.

Not that it was a surprise considering most of the space that was usually supposed to transport people was taken up by a horse.

Amber loved Cotton, her only enduring companion since she left Beacon. But right now, she was a little resentful about being pressed up right against the side of the equine. Then again everyone else was probably suffering in the exact same situation as her.

She wished she could have a proper conversation with Glynda. The older woman had been a close friend of hers since it was discovered that she had the powers of the Fall Maiden. A shoulder to lean on, someone who understood what she was going through. Many students of Beacon Academy wouldn't have been able to picture the famous (or infamous depending on who you asked) Glynda Goodwitch as anything but a stone-faced disciplinarian of a teacher but Amber knew who she was behind closed doors. Glynda helped her through the process of learning what she was and how best to control what she could do. Amber was eternally grateful for it.

Glynda was like the mother that she never had.

' _How long has it been since we last saw each other?'_ Amber thought. _'I really am glad to see her again.'_

"We're nearing Vale and will be arriving at Beacon Academy. ETA 20 minutes." Came the voice of the pilot.

Ah, Beacon. The thought of the Huntsman school brought back both good and bad memories to Amber. Meeting her team. Breaking up with her team. Finding out she was a Maiden. Finding out she had to conceal that she was a Maiden. It was a mixed bag of experiences. Amber shook her head, attempting to cast off the negative thoughts she was having. She didn't want to brood over the past, it was a trap that many in her profession had fallen into.

The Bullhead swept over the city of Vale. The straight, uniform roads wove through the city like the weavings of a basket. The buildings below almost looked like models from the height that they were, with a diverse and colourful selection of places for someone to go. Beacon stood imposingly above all else in the city, its massive towers easily visible from almost anywhere within the walls of Vale.

The legs of the Bullhead landed softly on the platform leading to the campus. The vehicle shuddered at the sudden halt, shaking all the passengers inside. A few moments went by before the sliding doors opened. All occupants felt an intense relief as they scrambled to exit the cramped flying machine. This, unfortunately, included the horse.

As both Qrow, Glynda and Cotton attempted to leave, the two humans were pushed to either side of the exit, trapping them between the door frame and the now equally stuck equine. Glynda prayed to whatever deity would hear her that her students would not see her in this humiliating state.

After some awkward shimmying, the passengers eventually got unstuck. The two humans let out a breath of relief while Cotton just trotted away with it's head held unnecessarily high in indignation. Qrow swore vengeance upon the animal.

The new arrivals began to make their way further into the school grounds. The first priority would be a trip to Arcade's office. While it was now obvious that no one was in mortal danger, the deputy-headmistress insisted that the three of them got a check up from the on site doctor.

As the group made their way, Six examined the new location around him. The first thing that stuck out was that Beacon was HUGE! Not just in terms of the land area that the school occupied but the buildings were by far the tallest in Vale. A monolith of a tower stood proudly at the centre of the grounds like something out of a fairytale. Six now knew where the name Beacon came from with how it almost shined. There were so many new places to explore that the courier was almost tempted to break away from the group and start looking around. Fortunately, the sensible side of him won out and he continued to follow Beacon's teacher and alumni.

They eventually arrived at a fat, round building with a dome shaped roof. Walking through the corridors they eventually came to a door labelled 'Doctors Office'. Glynda gave a quick knock on the door before opening it.

The room they stepped into was larger than the average practitioners office. With many beds, separated by dividers, lining a wall of the room with a sizable desk containing many draws and cabinets another. In the room were two people. One tall tanned woman dressed in an ocean blue scrub sat on a stool near the beds looking over a clipboard, her pale orange hair tied into a small bun. The other was a familiar blond headed man.

"Arcade!" Six called.

The bespectacled man's head turned at the sound of his name, a face of obvious surprise quickly appearing on him.

"Six?"

Arcade almost haphazardly tossed the papers he was working on to the side of his desk and quickly made his way towards the duster wearing wanderer. The two embraced in a friendly hug before quickly breaking away.

"It's good to see you again." Arcade said.

"Likewise."

Qrow and Glinda stared wide-eyed at the two men, unsure as to how to respond. Amber, on the other hand, quickly voiced what everyone was thinking. "You two know each other?"

The two men turned to face them. Six nodded his head and replied with, "Yeah, we used to travel together a while back. He saved my ass, I saved his. Good times."

"The tally is still in my favor though," Arcade added, "And from what I can remember they were far from 'good times'."

"How fortunate. This should make introductions simpler." The sudden reunion was cut short by the new voice that made itself known.

All eyes turned to the office entrance as they saw the headmaster of Beacon, Ozpin, standing tall by the open door.

"I came down as soon as I heard that you arrived back." Ozpin said before looking towards Amber with a concerned expression,

"Are you alright Amber. You had us all worried for a while there."

The Maiden attempted to look as reassuring as she could. Though, with how tired she was, it mainly looked like she was going to pass out.

"I'm fine Professor. Thanks to my new friend here I was able to escape the worst harm."

All eyes now turned back to the unfamiliar man in the room. Who simply blinked at the sudden attention.

Ozpin then stepped towards Six and stretched out his hand, which the other man quickly shook in greetings. "I am Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy for Huntsman and Huntresses."

"Courier Six. Please, just call me Six though. Pleasure to meet you."

"You protected Amber against a sudden threat, even if it had little benefit for you to do so. For that you have my deepest gratitude." The newly arrived headmaster turned to the two medical practitioners. "Professor Gannon, would you and Miss Sicil please give our new arrivals a quick medical exam? I'd like to set our minds at ease before anything else."

Both Arcade and the now identified Miss Sicil nodded their heads and began to prepare. Qrow, however, waved his hand dismissively, "I'm fine. I arrived late and didn't even get the chance to fight."

Glynda's brow furrowed in annoyance as she stepped forward to challenge Qrow. But before she could berate him Ozpin stopped her. "It's fine Glynda, I trust his judgment."

The examination went by quickly. Six was seen by Arcade while Amber was with Miss Sicil. The two pairs went to separate beds that were then covered by the dividers. Six was completely comfortable. He had been put under the medical gaze of Arcade numerous times and knew all the little things he needed to do. Under the veil of the dividers, the Courier removed his jacket and shirt to reveal his naked upper body. His muscles were toned, with many scars dotted around his flesh. They ranged from mild puncher wounds to obvious and severe surgical incisions around his chest and spine. The cut that had been sliced open by the black haired woman had completely vanished. There was no trace of any fight even happening, no bruises from his punching match or puncher hole from when he was shot. Six listed what had happened to Arcade with calculated and indifferent ease.

"So, your Aura was broken?" Arcade asked, carefully looking Six over.

"Yup."

"There was no issue with the regeneration process? No delay or other anomalies?"

"Nope. Everything's holding up."

"Alright then, with the lack of any sines to the contrary, I diagnose you with 'a clean bill of health'."

Six nodded and began to redress himself.

As the curtain was pulled back the two men saw that Amber was already done and waiting for them with the rest of the group. Arcade gave a quick confirmation of Six's health before Ozpin gave a nod.

"It seems that we can all begin to relax now that the crisis is over. For now we should rest and discuss what happened tomorrow. Are there any objections?"

Silence was heard from the small crowd, "Good. Amber, would you be able to show Mr Six here to the guest quarters of the school. I trust you remember where it is."

Amber quickly nodded and turned to Six. "Follow me."

The two of them exited the office and started to make their way towards where they'd be staying in the near future.

The cold atmosphere that the two had left the room with was palpable. Ozpin mentally counted to ten to give the pair some distance before letting out a small sigh. The situation was upsetting for many reasons. The dozens of new questions and factors that needed to be taken into account with this new development was mentally taxing. But for now the headmaster had a method to answering at least one of those many questions right in front of him.

"Qrow, Glynda, Arcade, I need to talk to you in my office."

Three minutes later the four of them found themselves at the top of Ozpin's tower.

Arcade fidgeted around on the spot where he stood, unsure as to why he was invited. Qrow and Glynda on the other hand looked quite comfortable with the situation with the dark-haired Huntsman even casually partaking in a flask of an unidentified liquid. Arcade could only guess as to what it contained.

"Soooo… Why am I here exactly?" asked Arcade.

"We need to discuss what happened and what we plan to do with our two new guests." Ozpin answered, "and I need your opinion on the matter."

"Ok then, ask away."

"Before that, Qrow, would you care to explain what you saw when you caught up with Amber?"

Qrow let out a noise somewhere between a sigh and a grunt before putting his flask back into his vest jacket.

"I was aiming to meet up with Amber along the road, to catch up and all that, make sure she's alright. I realised something bad was happening when I heard the fighting. By the time I got there it was basically already over. Amber was being held down by two of the attackers while this other guy was grappling with a third. Just cut off her hand I think. I had no idea what was going on and before I could jump in somebody did something and the three of them disappeared. Amber and the other guy, Six or whatever his name is, were all that was left. After getting Amber back on her feet and making sure that the new guy wasn't a threat I called you immediately."

"We'll need to get an account of what happened from the two of them tomorrow." Ozpin said, making a mental note of what needed to be done.

Glynda stepped forward, "We should keep Amber here as a safeguard. If _she_ is behind the attack then-"

"I know Glynda. Our first priority is to keep Amber safe," Ozpin reassured her, "The question is how long will you be able to convince her to stay?"

The question stopped Glynda, throwing off the usually unflappable woman. Her expression turned from determination to uncertainty and then to a neutral expression.

"It isn't my place to make her stay but I will try to reason with her to take precautions."

The headmaster nodded, accepting the answer that Glynda gave him.

"On to our other guest then." Ozpin started, "Arcade, what can you tell me about Mr Six?"

"What can I tell you about Mr Six?..." Arcade parroted before letting out a hesitant breath, "That's...a difficult question to answer. When it comes to Six there's much I can talk about. I'd have no idea where to start."

"Let me ask a different question then. Is he dangerous?"

"Now that, that is an even harder question to answer, but I'll try my best."

Arcade's answers did not fill the three of them with confidence. They hadn't just let a terrorist into the school did they? No, they knew Arcade. He was a humanitarian underneath his sarcastic shell. He wouldn't travel with someone like that. And the way they greeted each other showed that they had a warm relationship.

"Yes, he's dangerous, **very** dangerous. Probably one of the most dangerous men you'll ever meet. He is a man of war and words and can harm in equal amounts with both. I've seen him walk away from a situation he had no chance of surviving, more than one now that I think about it. Is he dangerous? Yes, most definitely. He is, however, only dangerous to the wicked and evil of the world."

Ozpin threaded his fingers together, his gaze analytical and neutral. "The way you describe him makes him out to be like something out of a fairy tale."

"Does it?" Arcade asked, taken aback at the description of his words, "That's very unlike me. However, it's unfortunately the best way I can describe him without going into the story of our entire journey together."

Qrow was unconvinced, "You're being awfully evasive Doc. Don't wanna spill the beans on your old pal?"

Arcade turned to Qrow, annoyance seeping into his voice, "Look, this is hard for me. I'm not good at this whole...storyteller thing."

Ozpin took All this new information in with the same straight face that he usually wore. He trusted Arcade, he was a good doctor and an intelligent scholar. He wasn't prone to over exaggeration that wasn't in the form of one of his quips. So when this usually down-to-earth and well spoken man was getting so agitated made him feel uneasy. Ozpin closed his eyes, trying to make sense of his school's doctor's vague description. It was obvious to everyone in the room that Arcade was not comfortable with the probing that they were giving him. All three had different theories as to why that was though. Qrow assumed he was withholding the truth, Glynda thought that he just wasn't a fan of being interrogated and Ozpin was withholding judgment for now. He needed to get to the bottom of this.

"He calls himself Courier Six. With a name like that I assume that there is some meaning behind it."

"Well...you see...I..." Arcade let out a sigh. He knew what he was going to say next wouldn't help his case. "He was a regular package courier and his number was six. So he just started calling himself Courier Six and the name stuck."

"Oh come on." Qrow grunted with disbelief, "So you expect me to believe that this mailman is as dangerous as you claim him to be?"

"I'm fine with you not believing me now Branwen, because I know for a fact that you will eat those words in the near future." Arcade spat back.

Glynda had had enough. "Qrow! Arcade! You're both acting like children."

Arcade took a step back, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Opening his eyes back up again he looked back to the trio.

"Listen, you are my colleagues, I respect you all, you're all good people, you deserve to know the truth so I'm going to tell you this. Six is not normal. He's not like a soldier or a huntsmen, neither is he a piece on a chessboard for you to manoeuvre around to your whim. He's got more in common with a hurricane, a natural disaster than he does with a regular plebeian. Where he goes he can't be stopped, redirected maybe but not stopped. You need to be careful not to antagonize him otherwise it will blow up in your face. If you have a problem, and you ask him nicely, no matter what it is, he will solve it. If you are a problem, then he will make your life hell for it."

Arcade placed his hands on Ozpin's desk and looked him straight in the eyes. His expression was one of concern, his gaze pleading to the man across from him to listen to his words.

"Six is a good man, a really good man. He's helped out more people than I could possibly count in the relatively short amount of time that I've known him. Please Ozpin, be careful."

There was a moment of awkward silence as Ozpin let the words sink in. Arcade felt incredibly strong about this, that much was certain. This Six most certainly had left a large impression upon the academic's life for him to hold the wanderer in such high regard. He was definitely an important figure to him. This left him with a lot to think about. Without breaking his neutral stony gaze Ozpin responded, "Thank you Arcade, you've been a big help. I think it would be best if we take the rest of the day off and rest. It has been an extremely stressful day for everyone."

Both Arcade and Qrow started to make their way to the elevator followed hesitantly by Glynda.

As the room descended into semi silence, the lone Ozpin was left to ponder on the new situation that he found himself in the center of. He had received many answers and yet was left with even more questions. The largest and most pressing pounding through his mind like a stampede of Beowolves. 'Just who are you, Courier Six.'

* * *

Qrow knew his eventual destination as soon as he began to call for the Bullhead. The cramped flight back and the meeting with Ozpin had done little to persuade him to not go. In fact it had done quite the opposite. He was heading to his second favorite place in Vale.

The Crow Bar.

Or was it The Crowbar? He didn't know and he didn't really care.

He first discovered this place when someone jokingly compared his name to that of the little watering hole. It was like fate itself gifted this place on a silver platter to the grizzled Huntsman. It was quiet, which he liked. It was out of the way, which he needed. It also served good drinks, which he liked and needed.

It was a one room bar built into what most likely once was a garage. It only had enough seats to fit around ten people max but Qrow had never seen it full in the almost two decades he frequented this place. It was a waterfront property as well, it's open shutter looking out over the vast stretching ocean, giving a beautiful view of the setting evening sun.

As Qrow rounded the corner he saw two occupants already inside. There was the familiar mustached barman dressed in his usual shirt, vest and green bowtie, as well as a lone woman drinking. And from the small mountain of empty whisky bottles she had already started the party.

The first thing that the huntsman noticed was the large pump action shotgun that sat on her back. Adding even more to her cowgirl image, she wore a messy light red chequered shirt underneath an unbuttoned brown leather jacket, her blue jeans were slightly torn in multiple locations. On her head was a straw cowboy hat with a few pieces missing from the brim, it's pail colour contrasting heavily with her reddish-brown hair. As Qrow set down on the stool beside her he noticed the large necklace dangling from her neck, engraved with what appeared to be some sort of flower.

' _Time to turn on the charm.'_ Qrow thought. "One of my usual, and another one for the fine lady here."

Qrow realised his mistake quickly when the woman in question gave him a glare that rivalled Glynda's in it's severity.

"Let me make one thing crystal clear before you decide to continue. I ain't looking to sell my night to the first dick that walks in and buys me a drink today." She spoke clearly and dangerously, not letting any word be left to interpretation. "So if that's the angle you're going with here drop it before I get mad and decide to start throwing hands."

' _Crap! Time to backpedal!'_

"Wow, wow, that wasn't my angle." he lied.

"I'm going to call bullshit on that one." the woman spat. "I know your kind, slept with a lot of them in fact, I know how this dance goes. So don't even try and pull the wool over my eyes."

Qrow relented and sighed. This happened occasionally when he tried to flirt. The best method was to just drop it. "Sorry, I'll just leave."

But before he was able to properly stand up, the woman quickly put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him. "No, don't."

Blinking a few times before sitting down, Qrow was surprised at her new change of face. She still looked upset but this time it was more internally focused. Her scowl was one of self-deprecation. She lightly slammed a fist into the bar in front of her causing an empty whisky bottle to topple onto its side.

"Dammit. This always happens. I get upset, drink, then get mad instead, and make it everyone else's problem." Her expression became more melancholy before addressing Qrow again. "To be honest I wouldn't mind having a drinking partner, since my usual one has more than likely found himself ass deep in trouble. So instead of waiting for him I'll have a new one for now. Name's Cass if you care. I'll pay for the next round, god knows I can afford it."

"I'll take a free drink." Qrow responded never one to turn down free alcohol. "And, what? You some sort of rich girl who can keep the drinks coming?"

"Na. Just got paid recently as all. Was hired to protect some transport train that was attacked. Got a bonus for helping to defend it. Been trying to dream up some reasons to spend all of it that isn't just shotgun shells and whiskey. To be honest, making a new friend don't sound too bad a reason."

"I'll drink to that."

"Same here."

The two of them then downed their respective drinks. The burn of the alcohol was pleasant to the two drinkers.

Placing the glass down Qrow decided to see where the conversation would take him. "You said that you're here because you're upset. You want to talk about it?"

There was some hesitation to the response Cass gave be she eventually decided to answer. "I was… meant to meet up with someone here in Vale today but… they haven't shown up yet. I'm starting to get worried and it's making me twitchy. I want to go out there and find out if they're alright but I wouldn't know where to start. To make matters worse I've got a... mutual friend with me who's getting just as worried as I am if not more so. Their constant worrying is stressing me out so I came here to calm my nerves. Pissed myself off instead."

It was obvious to Qrow the parallels between Cass's story and himself. She had her friend and he had his family, wondering where they could be and if they're alright. Or more specifically in his case, if he'll be alright and make it back to see them again.

"Then I propose a toast. To the health of those that we can't help but worry about."

Cass raised her own glass in response, "And too getting pissed off at them for making us worry!"

Qrow wouldn't go that far.


End file.
